A North Carolina man is relying on hope after losing the home he was forced to leave behind during Hurricane Helene to the recent wildfires.
Matthew Rogers told WLOS News 13 this week he evacuated from his “Cabin of Hope” in Flat Rock, N.C., for Hurricane Helene back in September 2024, only to lose his home of more than 30 years months later due to raging wildfires in Polk County.
“I was never late to work,” Rogers told the outlet, adding that he and his wife, Rosy Rogers, stayed close to town, living in the basement of a nearby restaurant after the storm left their area unfit to live.
After about two months of temporarily calling the Three Chopt Sandwich Shoppe in Hendersonville home, the couple moved into a friend’s apartment.
It was only recently that Matthew and Rosy could access their “Cabin of Hope” again, but then the wildfires began.
Matthew recalled going on social media Monday to see how close the flames were to their residence. “I woke up and went on Facebook because I’d been following the story,” Matthew said.
“I said, ‘That’s our house! There’s our lake, well, the dock is still there,’” he continued. “But the house is gone.”
Matthew said he was contacted by a firefighter friend who told them, “Hey buddy, I’m sorry.”
The only thing left on their property is rubble and a brick fireplace. Since the property is in an evacuation zone, they haven’t been able to see the damage themselves.
“The first thing you wish you had is time,” and emotional Matthew told the news station. “Half an hour to get pictures and your scrapbooks of your grandparents that were sent down to you. Your family history, which I had, to pass on to the next generation.”
Remaining optimistic, Matthew said he knows he and Rosy “will survive,” adding that they plan to rebuild.
According to the Flat Rock resident, the “Cabin of Hope” got its name from a line in The Shawshank Redemption, which has always stuck with him.
Matthew named the property after a quote from the 1994 prison drama starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. In the film, Robbins’ character Andy says, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the only thing, and no good thing ever dies.”
Hurricane Helene was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall in Florida in late September, impacting residents in multiple states, including Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. By October, the death toll reached over 200.
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At the time, Capt. Chad Arnold, who was part of a team rescuing people in the North Carolina mountains, told PEOPLE that the situation was “heartbreaking.”
“It’s hard to describe. It’s a biblical event, something you would never expect to see or witness,” he added. “The devastation is so bad.”
On Thursday, March 27, North Carolina’s WYFF 4 reported that “the Black Cove Fire is 3,288 acres in size and 17% contained.”
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